1. < Chronic Pain

Will I ever recover from my operation for spinal stenosis?

Posted by elizadolittle @elizadolittle, Mar 20, 2024

I had my operation a year ago, March 23rd. i appear to be getting better. I do go days without a painkiller.
Yesterday was not a good day. I couldn't sit at the computer and do my work. I finally remembered to use an ice pack on my back. It helped a bit. I couldn't sit still so I went out and washed down my patio furniture. By midnight I was pain free!
I find it so frustrating not knowing what works best. Do nothing and sit around or get up and get moving. Has anyone heard of the book,"Don't Get out of Bed?" I tuned into a PBS show where it was talked about. It's all about exercises for senior. Has anyone tried it?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

covenantdga | @covenantdga | 2 days ago
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@covenantdga Thank you for responding! You are dealing with a lot, too. I anticipate being in..." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@covenantdga
Thank you for responding! You are dealing with a lot, too. I anticipate being in a wheelchair at some point, too, and also struggle with exhaustion and extreme fatigue with little exertion. I am in bed or on the couch for most of the day which makes it very hard to get much done. It makes me very depressed to not be able to do much or work anymore but my faith is what I hang onto. Jesus gives me hope and spiritual strength and I ask God to help me each day.

I am taking Gabapentin 100 mg only at night, fluoxetine and bupropion for depression, omeprazole for gastritis/esophagitis (took too many nsaids for pain over the years), and used Salonpas lidocaine pain patches which helps with nerve pain. I also take alpha Lipoic acid for small fiber neuropathy (pain/numbness, burning, pins and needles in my feet). My balance and dizziness seems tied to my neuropathy and my gallbladder stopped working (biliary dyskinesia) which may be due to autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Did you ever get tested for small fiber neuropathy? I had a punch biopsy of upper thigh and calf which confirmed nerve damage. My large fiber nerves seem affected in my hips and legs where it is hard for me to walk at times. I also have weakness in my arms/hands and drop things. I seem to have flares where my symptoms and difficulties walking/pain increase and decrease but not sure why (also have low grade fevers).

I pray you get answers on whether surgery could help you. Especially if the hardware is dysfunctioning or loosening. Did they tell you which sections of your spinal cord and nerve roots were being pinched or damaged that warranted so many layers of laminectomy/fusion? Did they tell you how the surgery would help lessen the nerve pain and damage? Have you had a MRN which maps your central nervous system and peripheral nervous system function/damage? I am hoping to get a MRN to see how my cervical spondylitic myelopathy damaged my spinal cord and peripheral nerves and where there is permanent damage. I am hoping to prevent further damage, if possible. I was told at one point that if I fell, I could be paralyzed. I did fall 2 times before I had surgery and haven’t fallen since (but have been close due to balance/dizziness issues). I have a cage and screws in my neck now and feel a bit like a cyclops. 😉

I’ll pray for you to get help and answers to get some relief. The numbness in your back where you had incisions may not come back. I had a C-section and have numbness where the incision is and had my son 14 years ago. The only way to prevent permanent damage is to find the source of the problem and whether it is mechanical or something else neurologically going on.

God bless!

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So helpful. Am going back to Mayo Clinic at the end of August for hopefully some kind of follow up assessment after getting updated MRI, CT Scan, several lower back and spine x-rays and an EMG. I did read the summary in the clinical notes that doctor in Pain Management wrote after my initial visit and he said that he did not see any procedurally (surgery) that in his estimation would help my situation. That in and of itself was good news. Don’t think I could go through any kind of additional surgery.

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jeffspain | @jeffspain | 2 days ago

I have been in chronic pain since 1999. Every day I would rather be sleeping. Had two failed back surgery’s. Had a spinal cord stimulator. That was a joke for me. Now have my fourth pain pump I am fighting with. I can only give you my own opinion. Do what ever it takes to stay away from back surgery. Nearly all of them fail. All of them. Not worth the risk. You can find someone to cut you. That’s easy. After they mess you up they will only want you to go away. The Mayo Clinic won’t accept you either. Do your exercises if you can and get a dog if you can handle one. I can’t. Good luck to you and God Bless.

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frankiechi | @frankiechi | 1 day ago

Two years in and I still haven't. I hope you have better luck.

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elizadolittle | @elizadolittle | 1 day ago
In reply to @jeffspain "I have been in chronic pain since 1999. Every day I would rather be sleeping. Had..." + (show)
@jeffspain

I have been in chronic pain since 1999. Every day I would rather be sleeping. Had two failed back surgery’s. Had a spinal cord stimulator. That was a joke for me. Now have my fourth pain pump I am fighting with. I can only give you my own opinion. Do what ever it takes to stay away from back surgery. Nearly all of them fail. All of them. Not worth the risk. You can find someone to cut you. That’s easy. After they mess you up they will only want you to go away. The Mayo Clinic won’t accept you either. Do your exercises if you can and get a dog if you can handle one. I can’t. Good luck to you and God Bless.

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There are days that I feel like you. Then there are days I feel like my old self. I'm glad I had the operation. It's not perfect. The doctor didn't promise perfection.

I've gone from 16 pills a day to 4 or 5 a day.

I'm trying lazar treatments right now. It seems to be helping. I don't expect it to work on my back like it did on my knees. I had my first treatment on my knees a month ago and barely a twitch. I've had two on my back--the second today. Fingers crossed.

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1 reply
mamachiz98 | @mamachiz98 | 21 hours ago
In reply to @elizadolittle "There are days that I feel like you. Then there are days I feel like my..." + (show)
@elizadolittle

There are days that I feel like you. Then there are days I feel like my old self. I'm glad I had the operation. It's not perfect. The doctor didn't promise perfection.

I've gone from 16 pills a day to 4 or 5 a day.

I'm trying lazar treatments right now. It seems to be helping. I don't expect it to work on my back like it did on my knees. I had my first treatment on my knees a month ago and barely a twitch. I've had two on my back--the second today. Fingers crossed.

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I’m in the same boat as you. I’m in more pain than I was prior to my surgeries. I’m on the cortisone shot routine even after my pain stimulator that was implanted a year and a half ago. My pain specialist even recommended I get a medical marijuana card. I think they just want me to get stoned so I don’t complain about it anymore. Worthless.

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1 reply
bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | 17 hours ago

The surgeon who did mine claims a 95+ % success rate.

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elizadolittle | @elizadolittle | 13 hours ago

I'm trying lazar treatment on my back and side along with accupuncture. It seems to be working. I had my second treatment yesterday. When I went in to see my accupuncturist, I was miserable. I walked out without feeling any pain. I slept the afternoon away. I was careful not to screw things up.

I took my little Miah, the Bichon/Poodle mix, for alonger walk than ususal this afternoon. Part way back, I felt some resistence in my right leg. It is 10 p.m. as I write. No pain at all. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The first Lazar treatment did just enough for me to want to try another treatment. I'm glad I did.

I have a pacemaker. I checked on the internet to see if I could use lazar. It said to keep it away from the wires. There must be 18 inches between my pacemaker and the treatment. I told my doctor that I was trying lazar and he didn't discourage me.

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jeffspain | @jeffspain | 7 hours ago
In reply to @mamachiz98 "I’m in the same boat as you. I’m in more pain than I was prior to..." + (show)
@mamachiz98

I’m in the same boat as you. I’m in more pain than I was prior to my surgeries. I’m on the cortisone shot routine even after my pain stimulator that was implanted a year and a half ago. My pain specialist even recommended I get a medical marijuana card. I think they just want me to get stoned so I don’t complain about it anymore. Worthless.

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Yes , I can understand what you mean by Worthless. I would be very careful with those shots. They told me I needed to have shots and come back at least every two weeks to get more or they won’t work. They can hit nerves and mess them up so they never fire right. Being desperate like I was, I fell for it. Then after twenty years of them coming up with more shots and spinal cord stimulator that was a nightmare for me. I began to see the Guinea pig line. People waited in line for hope like me while Doctors have a license to steal in my eyes. Then I had one Neurosurgeon tell me I had Arachnoiditis from shots or surgery or maybe from the injury and that I would die a painful death. He plain ass covered his ass. Excuse my French. No one else ever told me they saw that. I believe he just wanted me to go away because he botched the surgery. Later he was kicked out from being the top Doctor. I don’t have much faith in any one of them anymore. But once you get a pump or spinal cord stimulator they own you. Everyone of you if you can please stay away from back surgery. Most all of them fail. You would have been better off smoking pot. They allow all these drugs and hocus-pocus shots and all the booze you can buy on a self but not any marijuana in Wisconsin for pain. That should be a crime. I am sick of being a pin cushion for their yacht payment. I don’t know about everyone one else but after four pump implants and numerous drugs for over twenty years, and them now telling me I need another back surgery at 70 years of age I feel like a number. I am hanging in there for the good Lord. Amen

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